No justification for Zaria, Onitsha killings –Gani Adams

Gani Adams

National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Otun­ba Gani Adams, has stated that no explanation can justify killing of members of Shiite sect in Zaria last week and the recent one in Onitsha, alleged by the sol­diers.

It will be recalled that unspecified number of members of Shiite sect in Zaria were last Saturday killed for allegedly plan­ning to attack the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Buratai, who was on his way to the palace of Emir of Zazzau.

Also on Thursday, five people were allegedly killed by the soldiers in Onitsha during the jubi­lation that followed the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Bi­afra by a court.

Speaking shortly after receiving award for his role in promoting Yoruba culture from members, Correspondents’ Chapel of Osun Council of Nige­ria Union of Journalists, NUJ, during the week­end, Otunba Adams said in advanced countries, no security agent would dare kill unarmed civil­ian regardless of the lev­el of provocation.

Adams said killing Igbo was never the best way to address agitation for Biafra Republic, say­ing the Onitsha killing could trigger already tensed situation in the East into a bigger secu­rity issue.

“It is very barbaric and uncalled for. Any good so­ciety will not encourage that. I think we should appeal to our law enforce­ment agencies because any form of trigger-hap­py attitude should not be condoned in any normal democratic setting.

“What happened in Kaduna State is not what we are expecting right now, especially when the crises of Boko Haram, the agitation of the MAS­SOB, are ravaging the country. But I will appeal to the military and other security agencies to be calm under provocation.

“Their work is to safe­guard us and maintain peace and order in the society and to guard the country against external aggression. With the pic­tures of the Shiite killing that I saw on the internet, the people killed in the at­tack were more than 200. In civilised countries, you don’t kill your citizen like that, even when they provoke you, you should pamper them in order to avoid that ugly situation.

“Even though they em­barrassed the Chief of Army Staff, they should have disarmed them and arrest their leader for questioning and not us­ing weapon to kill people like that. No explanation can justify such action. International commu­nity will not overlook such a thing,” Adams be­moaned.

He however advised President Muhammadu Buhari to be careful and thread softly so as not to allow negative effects of the actions of the secu­rity agencies to damage his reputation.

“I am not saying the Shiite are right, because when people do proces­sion, you don’t block the road, but the military has to be mature in their ap­proach because we cannot continue to shed innocent blood and expect progress in the country,” Adams added.

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